Foreword by Vanora Bennett

I first turned up in Soviet Russia at the impressionable age of 18, not long after the invasion of Afghanistan and a month after the controversial Moscow ...[Click here to read more]

Preface by Olga Fedina

When I was working as a Russian teacher I taught students of all levels. Some of them spoke very good Russian, having done a Russian degree. They all knew ...[Click here to read more]

Cover endorsement by Michele A. Berdy

"Foreigners who spend years mastering classical
Russian grammar and getting used to the rapid-fire slangy exchanges of
contemporary spoken Russian need one more thing: a personal cultural guide. We dream of someone who will take us by the hand and
explain why a 30-year-old film is still watched by the whole family every New
Year’s Eve, whisper the allusions to films in the jokes our co-workers are
making, and help us understand how a traditional fairy tale shaped our friends’
characters and sense of morality. Olga Fedina’s
book, What Every Russian Knows (And You Don’t), is just that guide. These
twelve essays on icons of Russian and Soviet culture open a window on artists
and their works of art that still resonate today in language, images and
worldview. It’s a valuable resource for anyone studying Russian language,
literature and culture."